How do you clear you head....

[sfa]

Thanks...
I just dug in and did a couple of "quick" items. So maybe evening moving some very small tasks off my "to do list" will keep me moving.

That's EXACTLY what I do when I'm at work and not being productive and don't have any major deadlines or meetings coming up. If I find myself having days when all I want to do, or all I seem able to do, is goof off on the internet, I just force myself to do one thing. Just one thing, doesn't matter what it is--at least if I do that then at the end of the day I won't feel like a complete loser slug time waster.

Good luck!

Sarah

[katluvr]

Losing battle here today.
I did a few small things on my list. But overall really worked 2 - 3 hours max if you put all the intermittant stuff together!
Shuffled piles and surfed! BAD ME!
Answered emails..but that was about all of my presense.
I am going home to hopefully get my cat to eat (long story) and rest up a bit before swim practice. As I am less than 7 weeks away from my first tri and really not good at the swim AT ALL!
I think between those 2 items--that is where my head is today!

[Zen]

I have taken probably about ten yoga classes total but there is one technique I learned that's pretty good.
It's the "hummm-so" chant.
Inhale through your nose while making the hummm sound and exhale making the "so" sound.
You have to concentrate so much on the breathing that it's impossible to think of anything else.

[grey]

Many years ago, before martial arts classes we would kneel with our hands on our knees, backs straight, close our eyes and just work at stilling the mind for a while. Most of the time I can clear the mind anytime I need to now - it's really very helpful. It takes practice but eventually you figure out how to do it, and then you can sit a few more moments and decide what it is that is most important and demands your attention the most, and focus on that.

[Dianyla]

Have you ever been evaluated for Adult ADHD?

I wasn't diagnosed until this past year, at the age of 31. What you're describing sounds a lot like my typical workday before I started getting treatment for this.

[KathiCville]

Katluvr....Are you close to menopause? If so, your trouble focusing could be related to the transition. Lowered concentration and "brain fog" are pretty common symptoms, according to my gynecologist. (This might be old news to you. Sorry if I'm telling you something you already know!)

I've been struggling with lack of focus now for the last 3 or 4 years. At first, I didn't recognize it as an ongoing issue--the onset was subtle---but as I became less and less productive and more and more easily distracted, I realized that something fundamental was going on. Some of it has to do with reduced serotonin production, I think. (My sleep is lousy too these days.)

If you're perimenopausal or menopausal you might want to do some reading up on the effect of menopause on the brain. My doc is having me try different low-level meds to see if we can find one that will help me through the transition. (After which I will allegedly regain my focus, aka "zest"! )

Whether or not your focus issues are related to menopause, here are a few things that work for me. You probably already do most or all, but just in case.....:

1) I'm most fretful and paralyzed when I worry that things are slipping through the cracks. So I'm a devoted list-maker. Lists help me feel like I've got a decent handle on stuff and don't interrupt myself every five minutes with "Oh, dear, I forgot about X! Argggggh!"

2) I break large or medium tasks into small, concrete, easy-to-swallow steps. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, so just taking a little step to get moving can give you a feeling of accomplishment. (And I'm talking about a step as simple as gathering the stuff you need in one spot and then walking away. When you come back to the project a day or two later, you've got what you need sitting there waiting for you. No, "Ugh, I need to find this, get that, before I can start!")

3) When feeling overwhelmed or finding yourself having a heckuva time taking a first step, use a bit of positive language to help jumpstart your mind. Instead of saying, "I have to do this.....(Grrr....)", try shifting your language to "I CHOOSE to do this now because __________." Reasons could be anything positive: "....it will make my life easier." "....it will give me more time later today to ride my bike." "....I know I'll feel great when I get this small step out of the way." The choice of words is surprisingly powerful because using "choose" puts you, not the task, in the driver's seat.

4) I find visual clutter realllly distracting, more so the older I get. So I make a point of keeping my main workspace as clear as possible, devoted to one task at a time. Everything is within easy reach BUT it's pretty much behind me, out of sight as I'm working. (This is easier said than done, of course! Evil piles of 'stuff' sometimes seem to materialize out of nowhere, LOL!)

5) This might sound odd, but have you had your eyes checked lately? An out-of-date Rx could be making your eyes tired and contributing to your concentration issues.

6) Are you physically comfortable wherever you're trying to work?? Monitor whether you're shifting around in your chair, finding excuses to get up and walk around---your body might be trying to tell you that it needs different lighting, a different chair, different noise level, whatever.

Good luck! I hope at least one tip above helps! Lack of focus is NOT fun to live with.......especially if you're used to getting things DONE.

[katluvr]

Thanks for all the tips/info.

As for being perimenopausal--at one time I thought so. Could be. Back to have VERY regular (and short) periods. Although I have not read up much. I am thinking more mental and emotional than physical/hormnal. But if this continues (w/ all the other techneques) then maybe I'll check into this.

I did have a more focused and producitve day on the following day. And not as unmotivated this week.

I think I work best/well under pressure...and things for me at work are at a lull and I have old, boring, never did want to deal w/those projects/tasks left on my plate. But I'll keep on keeping on.

[sundial]

Are you close to menopause? If so, your trouble focusing could be related to the transition.....I became less and less productive and more and more easily distracted...

+1

I've noticed how my reading styles have changed because of my lack of concentration. Hormones do affect one more than you know.

[shootingstar]

Katluvr....Are you close to menopause? If so, your trouble focusing could be related to the transition. Lowered concentration and "brain fog" are pretty common symptoms, according to my gynecologist. (This might be old news to you. Sorry if I'm telling you something you already know!)

I've been struggling with lack of focus now for the last 3 or 4 years. At first, I didn't recognize it as an ongoing issue--the onset was subtle---but as I became less and less productive and more and more easily distracted, I realized that something fundamental was going on. Some of it has to do with reduced serotonin production, I think. (My sleep is lousy too these days.)

Every woman is different. I am perimenopause but so far, I'm very lucky since symptoms are occasional and mild..mild flash for 5 min. in morning..pretty tame stuff. I don't experience the wild mood swings which I can't explain, etc.

I tend to be cautious to attribute lack of focus of myself as hormonal, since my symptoms are incredibly mild.. and also because for some women, perimenopause can also coincide with major life changes ..career/job, marriage, empty nest situations, home relocation, etc. Big stuff for even the most well-adjusted and healthy women.

For certain lack of sufficient sleep can affect my concentration in general...especially for repetitive tasks.

Just giving another experience...where younger women here, need to be cautious when they reach that stage later in life.